Jaded Winter Wonderland
by DraejonSoul
Summary: [RE-POST] (One-shot) Someone's being a humbug. Can his teammate do anything about it? (Mitsui and Kogure-NOT as a pair)


Jaded Winter Wonderland 

_**20 Dec. 2003.** Just thought of reposting for this festive occasion. It's that time of year, and I feel the same way I felt last year. So..._

_Disclaimer__: If I owned Slam Dunk, I wouldn't be doing this, would I?_

_Summary:__ Someone's being a humbug. Can his teammate do anything about it? (And NO, it's non-yaoi, and never will make one)_

_Random A/N__:_

_Wrote this in a not very pleasant mood I get during the holidays. With all the commercialism, pomp and circumstance, a lot of people don't remember what Christmas was really for in the first place. And it also helped that you're on duty on Christmas Eve. And on Christmas Day._

_This is a sort of 'Christmas offering' amongst hordes of Christmas offerings. I dunno, the muses set me up to it. But, boy, my Aoshi muse isn't liking this very much…_

_I thought that I was gonna be able to wrap it up before Christmas, but if I did, I wouldn't be too happy with what might have turned out. Looks like I can't make a halfway decent fic in a day. _

_The season's put me in a bad mood. You can flame all you want._

****

* * *

**Jaded Winter Wonderland**

By Shinomori no Kami Daiji

* * *

It was a colder winter this time around, the young man noted, which didn't suit him one bit. It meant coming to school would be hazardous with the slippery sidewalks. The cold weather had also been bothering his knee. He already begged off two practice games during the bitter frosts. He hated being away from basketball. Two years was enough torment.

And it also meant it was Christmas.

"Ch." Mitsui trudged carefully amidst two inches of snow. The street hasn't been cleared yet with the recent snowfall that afternoon. _Perfect. A good way to bust my knee real good._

He had been in a foul mood since he came to school this morning. His mother told him that she will work the night shift tonight. That meant he would be by himself in the holidays. 

Mitsui kicked up the snow in front of him. It wouldn't matter to him, anyway. He only saw his mother at nights and on those weekends he decided to stay home. Not seeing her for a few days wasn't much of a difference.

He also almost didn't join the team's practice that afternoon. Sakuragi was already teasing him, telling him he's already old. If not for the love of the game and Anzai­-_sensei_, Mitsui would have throttled his loudmouthed teammate.

Mitsui stopped in front of the department store he usually passes by on the way home from school. They had already decorated the place for Christmas, he noticed belatedly. He stared back down the street where people struggled to maintain their footing. He then realized he'd rather wait for the s streets to be cleared of snow before heading home. Nobody was waiting there, at any rate. And he would be warmer indoors than out here, so he stepped through the revolving doors.

"Welcome to Kaiken Shopping Center!" Two girls in yellow jackets and skirts beamed up at him and bowed. They were also wearing that all-too familiar red hat. He merely snorted and walked on.

He expected the mall to be crowded since it was after working hours. But he never thought it would be this packed! People were just everywhere, in and out of stores, struggling with the packages they were carrying, while others were chasing after their little children. The noise all around almost drowned out the tinny carols from the speakers.

Mitsui passed by a soda shop where a group of high school girls from another school, giggling and chatting away. To what he thought of as misfortune, Mitsui caught a few of their exchanges.

"Do you think Hirumi will ask me out on our Christmas Ball?" one girl asked. 

"_Ara! Of course, he will!" her friend piped in. "He'd been asking around whether you had a date or not."_

"_Ne? Really?" the first girl gushed. "I'll be the happiest girl alive!" Giggles went round._

Mitsui sighed, shaking his head slightly. Empty-headed girls like them are too easy to please.

He paused to stare into the window display of a toy store, and saw a shiny Perfect Grade Gundam model. He was caught by the sleek design and its attention to detail. It took a surreal gleam under a shroud of blinking lights. The _mecha__ beckoned to him, just like the coveted Macross he wanted to have ten years ago. He asked for it as a Christmas gift in those rare occasions his father was home for the holidays. But because he wasn't faring well in school, his father refused, saying he'll get him the toy when he brings him a good report card. So he tried harder. But no matter how hard he tried, Mitsui still did poorly and only contented himself to staring longingly by the display window._

Which reminded him. _Otou__-san will be late in coming back from Singapore. But he will call on Christmas day._

He grunted. What was the big deal with this Christmas, anyway? It was just some gaudy Western tradition the Japanese just _had to follow._

"Can't you buy me that one? Please?"

Mitsui cast a sidelong glance at a small boy beside him. His palms were pressed against the glass as he had his face leaning close to it. He was looking wistfully at the same direction Mitsui was. That same hungry look he had before, as would any child for a toy.

"No," came a stern female voice as her hand settled on the little boy's shoulder. "You have enough toys already. Come on, it's getting late! Your father is waiting."

She half-dragged her son away from the window. Mitsui heard a small sound of disappointment from him.

"Shouldn't have kept your hopes up, kid," he said under his breath as he turned away.

He walked aimlessly amidst the mob of shoppers. Pandemonium was literally everywhere. He kept his gaze ahead, ignoring the colorful tinsel adorning every shop, or the bright lights winking at him. 

Mitsui used to be that kid, or any other child who looked forward to this time of year: expectant, yearning to receive the most wonderful present on Christmas. His father never got his gift right. It was either something he didn't like, or he was too old for them. That was until he was given a basketball. That was the best and only gift he wanted.

Now that he was through with childish things altogether, he began to see the futility of celebrating this occasion. It had always been just him and his mother almost every year. If his father arrived, it was always a day or three after Christmas. So what's the use in celebrating? And they never prepared much for Christmas dinner since it since it was only the two of them. They also did away with the gift giving since, like his father, his mother didn't seem to know what she should get for his son.

"This is such a waste," he said to himself. All it brought were false hopes and broken promises. It was all too much. He decided to go home and get out of this madness.

"Hey!" he blurted testily as a guy bumped into him.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," the apology as the fellow turned to face him. 

"_Oi! Kogure!" Mitsui exclaimed. He almost didn't recognize Shohoku's vice captain and teammate in his thick coat and a scarf that obscured the lower half of his face. But the glasses and the eyes behind it were dead giveaways. "I didn't think I'd see you here." He looked down to see a small parcel in the other's hand. "Doing some Christmas shopping, _ne_?" he asked wryly._

"Well, yes," Kogure answered with a small chuckle. "Just little presents for my grandparents and little sister."

"What did you get them?" Mitsui asked, curiously peering at the package wrapped in colorful paper.

"I bought a shawl for _obaa__-san," he answered. "I still haven't gotten anything for _ojii___-san and Oshin-__chan."_

"Not getting anything for yourself?" Mitsui asked solicitously.

Kogure just shrugged. "I didn't save enough," he admitted. "But that's okay. At least, I'll be getting something for them."

"What about for your parents?"

His teammate's eyes dimmed slightly. "I don't have to anymore," Kogure answered softly.

"Oh? Oh." _Stupid Hisashi, he scolded himself. He forgot that Kogure lost his parents years ago. He learned about it from their team captain, Akagi. It was a vehicular accident that claimed them both._

The light in Kogure's eyes returned shortly. "Anyway, what are you doing here?" asked in return.

"Me? Just whiling away the time until the road is cleared from snow," he replied, looking outside. It looked like the clearing crew hasn't come by yet.

"Is that so?" said Kogure. "Well, do you mind helping me pick out what to buy for my family?"

"Are you joking?" Mitsui exclaimed incredulously. "I'm the _last _person you should be asking when it comes to shopping."

"That's alright," the vice captain rejoined. "You can keep me company while I look around. How about that?"

"Well…" Mitsui hedged. He wasn't in the mood for company.

"I'm buying the food," Kogure offered. "I don't have much money, but I think it should be enough."

"Good enough for me," Mitsui responded with a grin. Might as well go with him to make up for upsetting him.

Kogure returned the grin gratefully. "Let's go, then," he said as they threaded through the crowd once more.

"Why didn't you just get your grandfather matching scarf as well?" Mitsui wondered.

"I thought about it," Kogure replied as they entered a clothes store. "I didn't like the ones I saw in the store where I bought this bought this."

He led them to the girl's teen's section, and began going through a rack of blouses.

Mitsui watched his friend go through one item after another. "You don't know what to get for her, don't you?" he asked flatly.

Kogure looked slightly frustrated as he turned to Mitsui.

"I guess I'm just as clueless in shopping as you are," he remarked, then subsided to a grin. "I want to get her a lot of nice things, but I don't know how."

When Mitsui frowned, Kogure went on. "I mean, if I wanted to get her a dress, I'd have to know her size, _ne_? I just can't ask her. It wouldn't be a surprise then."

"Then ask your grandmother," Mitsui answered easily. "Or better yet, why don't you get her a teddy bear like anybody else would?" It was also a season for those things. Teddy bears were just as widespread as Santa Claus during this season, taking up most of the shelf space in every store.

Kogure looked uncertain. "It's supposed to be a surprise," he reiterated. "I don't want any of them to know. Besides, I want to get her something different from the usual." He paused from his search as he scratched the side of his face. "It sounds a little strange, I know. It's just that I wanted to see their reactions when they never expected I'd be giving them presents." He went on to another rack, a self-conscious laugh escaping his lips. "Weird, _ne_?"

"No, it's not strange at all," was Mitsui's quiet rejoinder, staring at his teammate busily examining the clothing in his hand.

He followed Kogure silently from one store to another. They have gone in and out of several establishments, but Mitsui didn't seem to notice. He was simply astounded by it all. Kogure was just swept by the frenzy of it all.

When their hour-long rounds bore no fruit, Kogure finally decided to stop by a food stall and ordered takoyaki for both of them. They sat on the nearby bench and ate in companionable silence.

"Are you tired?" Kogure looked up from his food. "You've been very quiet."

Mitsui shook his head. "I'm just not used to seeing you like this," he averred and took a sip of his soda.

His teammate blinked at him, perplexed. "_Hora? In what way?"_

"Well, I never thought you'd be one who gets sucked into Christmas… madness," he appended for lack of a better word.

Kogure looked surprised, leaning back onto the bench. "And I never thought you to be so cynical about this," he admitted.

"What's so cynical about being practical?" Mitsui argued. "Look at all this. Who knows it might be some commercial scam so people will buy more? Want more? It's stupid, really." He snorted. "Just because the foreigners do it, we have to as well. This Christmas isn't even part of our belief."

"But we do share a common belief: sharing your blessings and giving of one's self," Kogure put in softly.

"Squandering good money is more like it," Mitsui muttered darkly.

Kogure was stunned. He looked away, pushing up his glasses. "Maybe you're right," he said after a while. "Maybe this is all made up by _gaijin_, even that Santa Claus character. They celebrate this occasion to remember the birth of their Savior. But do they really know when he was born?"

"Yeah," Mitsui rejoined. "But you still haven't told me why you observe it, too?"

He gave a slow shrug. "All I know is this: it makes me remember the good life I have with my family and friends. And if squandering good money meant giving joy to the people I care for even for that short moment, I'd do it."

Mitsui was stunned to silence at his friend's earnest confession. But he wasn't easily swayed.

"You're a sentimental fool," he remarked with a lopsided grin. "Do you know that, Kogure?"

He gave a tilt of his head, seemingly not offended, but he gave no reply. Instead, he looked at his watch. 

"It will be late soon," Kogure announced. "I have to get this shopping done. I still have to get things done before Christmas." He suddenly slapped his forehead with his palm. "_Ara! That reminds me! Do you have any plans on the Christmas day, Mitsui?"_

"Plans?" He scratched a finger behind his ear. "No, but I never do, anyway."

Kogure drew back slightly. "Eh? Don't your parents have any arrangements?"

"Feh, what for?" he affected a devil-may-care manner. "The only ones who'll be left in the apartment that time will be me and the TV."

"I see," Kogure said with sympathy. "Then why don't you come over and have dinner with us?"

Mitsui cocked an eyebrow. "Don't patronize me, Kogure. You know how I feel about this whole thing."

"It doesn't matter," Kogure insisted with a shake of his head. "I want you to come anyway."

The shooting guard cast his eyes to the ceiling. "_Yareyare_," he said with a sigh. I'll think about it."

"That's good enough," he responded with a warm smile. "Come on, let's get going."

He stood up. "I'm giving you thirty more minutes, Kogure," Mitsui warned. "If you don't buy anything by then, I might have to strangle you."

"What?" He gave a nervous chuckle. "Then help me pick out the gifts for Oshin-_chan and __ojii_-san_."_

"Boxing gloves for Oshin-_chan and a bottle of sake for your grandfather," Mitsui quipped._

Kogure gave a start. "Mitsui!" he blurted. "You're not being helpful here!"

"Who says I would be?" he smirked.

"There's some food in the refrigerator you can heat up for dinner," she announced. "And you know what number you can reach me." She waited for a response. "Did you hear me?"

"Yes, I did," he said automatically without looking up at his mother, as his eyes were fixed on the news on TV.

Mrs. Mitsui was fixing herself in front of the mirror, smoothing the creases on her blouse. "You're not going out tonight?" There was a hint of surprise in her tone.

Her son didn't miss the point. "I'm done with that, mother, remember?" he stressed. He didn't have to elaborate; he didn't need to. Ever since he joined Tetsuo's gang, that little fact seemed to be the only thing she knew of her son's life. Even after changing his ways and rejoining Shohoku's basketball teams, she seemed to be waiting for him to slip up again; because if he did, his father will be told this time.

"Kogure invited me to dinner at his house," Mitsui said after a while. 

"Is he one of those no-good friends of yours?" she asked solicitously.

Mitsui didn't want to take the bait. "No, he's my teammate in the basketball team. He's even the vice captain," he managed to say calmly and with some pride.

"You're not going?"

After a long pause, Mitsui admitted, "I don't know."

"Why don't you go?" his mother asked candidly.

"It's just some silly Christmas dinner," Mitsui answered, switching the channel. The news was followed by a foreign Christmas program.

"Well, call me in the office if you decide to go," Mrs. Mitsui said, picking up her bag then made her way to the door. "I'll be home by seven tomorrow. I'll be going now."

"Bye," he said flatly to a closed door. He switched channels again. Damn. If it wasn't a rerun of some romantic movie, it was a Christmas show. Can't they put anything decent on television?

Mitsui turned the TV off, then looked around. He noticed the box of sweet cakes on the coffee table by his feet. He bought it in case he did accept Kogure's invitation. After all, he told him he'll think about it, that's not saying yes. But that's not saying no, either.

He thought of the pros and cons of going. If he stayed, he has reheated dinner and boring TV. If he went, he'll get a free dinner, meet Kogure's family, and have some good company. Add to that, he wanted to strengthen his relationship with his teammates to make up for lost time.

Mitsui sighed. _What was I thinking? "No harm in having dinner with a friend, is there?" he said to himself as he hauled himself up and marched for the bathroom._

Half an hour later, he was in Kogure's street looking for the number of his house. After three blocks he found it, a low two-storey residence. A small pond at the front yard reflected the half-moon, and a patch of garden peeped at the left side of the house. He stopped in front of the low gate and pressed the doorbell. The front door opened, and Mitsui could make out the silhouette of his teammate. Kogure jogged up to the gate with a welcome grin.

"You made it," he said as he unlocked the gate. "Come in."

Mitsui gave a small grin and followed Kogure along the footpath. He noticed something different for the first time.

"You don't have any Christmas decorations," he remarked. All the houses, except theirs, burned bright with lights and colorful ornaments against the velvety white snow that covered the houses. 

Kogure glanced at the houses that flanked them. "We don't believe in gaudy displays," he said. "And it takes too much work for even _Ojii__-san and I to set up the decorations. _Ojii___-san! Obaa-san! Mitsui's here!" he called out when he opened the door._

The interior of the house was just as unadorned for the holidays, but Mitsui couldn't mistake the warmth and togetherness that made up for the simple surroundings. It was a glaring contrast of what his household lacked. 

A woman in her late fifties emerged from their left, an apron over her pale rose kimono. Her lined face was set in a ready smile as she set her eyes on Mitsui.

"Ah, Mitsui-_kun," she said in a pleasant elderly tone, "it's nice to have finally met you."_

"_Komban_ wa_," Mitsui said with a bow. "_Shinnen___ omedeto. I brought some cakes for you."_

"Thank you, Mitsui-_kun," she said, cordially accepting the parcel._

"Welcome to our humble home, Mitsui-_kun," said a new voice._

"_Ojii_-san_," Kogure acknowledged him as he came up to them, a little girl of eight holding his hand._

"Oshin-_chan, why don't you say hello to Mitsui-_kun_?" her grandfather urged gently, nudging the child forward._

She obliged meekly with a nod of her head. "_Shinnen__ omedeto," she said, her face straining to look up at the tall newcomer. When their eyes met, her lips widened to a smile, rounded brown eyes glittering in childish glee. Mitsui was struck with the similarities with her older sibling._

He also returned their greetings with a smile of his own, the only heartfelt one he gave that day. Mitsui was instantly touched by the warm reception they gave, a ready acceptance he wasn't prepared for.

"Dinner will be ready momentarily," Kogure's grandmother said. "Why don't you take our guest to the sitting room, Miyo? And come help me fix the table, Oshin-_chan__."_

"_Hai!" she cried exuberantly and followed her grandmother to the kitchen. _

Mitsui cocked an eyebrow at Kogure as soon as they left. "Lead the way, _Miyo." _

Kogure beamed at him sheepishly, and showed him the sitting room.

The décor was diverse, to say the least, as they corresponded to the taste and age of the occupants: from the i_kebana on the coffee table to the framed photographs on either side of the plush sofa. The general setting was a little old-fashioned for Mitsui's taste, but tasteful. More importantly, it felt like home._

"So, Mitsui-_kun," Kogure's __ojii__-san began as he settled on the armchair. The young men sat at the long couch. "You and Miyo have known each other long?"_

"Since our first year," he answered simply.

_Ojii__-san_ nodded. "Well, we're glad you accepted Miyo's invitation," he acknowledged. "He rarely invites friends over other than for study groups and projects. We were beginning to get worried he'd become a hermit once he graduates high school."

"_Mou_, Ojii-san…_" Kogure protested mildly, a hand scratching his head._

His grandfather chuckled good-humoredly. "Ah, Miyo," he chided teasingly. "You're just too young to be too serious. Learn to take it slowly or you'll end up as old as I am in just three years." He gave a sly wink at Mitsui.

"_Ojii_-san_," Kogure repeated, his cheeks getting pink. He was consoled by a pat on the arm._

Mitsui let out a laugh, shedding the need to be proper. In just a few sentences, he was sold to the elder's affable demeanor, a trait not a lot of old folks he knew had. Not even his own father was this amicable to him.

"_Oi, your grandfather's right," Mitsui decided to join in. "Give yourself some time to enjoy life. We're not going to be young forever, you know."_

"Listen to your friend, boy," Ojii-san urged.

Kogure looked helplessly from one to the other. "I had a sinking feeling you two will gang up on me once I bring you together," he said reproachfully. But the gleam of amusement shone behind his spectacles.

Mitsui was snickering, but he was also holding back his surprise. Kogure, since the time he has known him, hardly ever made a joke. More so at his own expense. This was a side to the vice-captain he never saw before.

Then the grandfather went on to regale them of his own boyhood, of how he was like his own grandson. He was a man at a much younger age because of the yoke of responsibilities of being the oldest of four. He was from a poor family who worked on their landlord's farm. And through hard work and perseverance, he put his brother, two sisters, and himself through high school.

Mitsui had heard of similar stories before, but found himself listening to his tale. There was something in the old man's eyes and the way he spoke that drew him into his life's story. It was a hard life, but there were no regrets. And, thankfully, he made no disparaging remarks about kids today.

They were so immersed in their conversation that they didn't notice Oshin standing at the doorway until she spoke.

"Dinner is ready, everybody!" she announced, then scurried off towards the dining room.

They all stood up and followed the old man towards the room across the hall. The round dining table was already set. The smells of dinner wafted to their noses, finding themselves inhaling the scent appreciatively. The ever-present fried chicken and Christmas cake were served, along with tempura, katsu-don, and sekihan, or red rice. The cake served as the little course's centerpiece, the snow-white icing rounded with strawberries and topped with a small Santa in the middle. Across the other end of the table, Kogure's grandmother stood and greeted them with a smile.

"It might not be much to your liking," Kogure said to Mitsui. "But I'm sure you'll like Obaa-san's cooking."

Mitsui scowled at him. "Are you kidding? This is great!" _Compared to rehashed dinner, this is an emperor's feast_, Mitsui didn't choose to add. He sat in between Kogure and his grandmother.

"_Itadakemas__'."_

"_Mou_, there's so much food today!" little Oshin blurted. "I wish it was a holiday everyday so _obaa_-san_ will cook nice goodies all the time."_

"Well, then, I'll cook some for you from time to time," her grandmother responded.

"_Sugoi__!" she beamed. "Even Christmas cakes?"_

"You know that's only for Christmas," Kogure commented.

"But if you don't put Santa Claus on the cake, then it's not a Christmas cake anymore," she answered with childish conviction. "_Onii-chan_, why don't they put Hoteiosho on Christmas cakes?"

Kogure seemed at a loss to answer. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe Santa Claus looks nicer on a Christmas cake."

Mitsui thought the rather absurd answer made some sense. The traveling priest Hoteiosho shared equal status with Santa as gift giver to children. But who would want a pot-bellied monk with rather large ears sitting on a cake when his western counterpart looked much cuter? He gave a mental shake of the head.

"Do you think he'll come tonight?" she asked.

"Have you been good?" It was Ojii-san's turn to ask.

"Oh, yes!" I've been very good!" she gamely responded, then a pout came over her features. "Maybe he's forgotten about me. I've been behaving last Christmas, but I never got a present from him."

"Maybe he got lost trying to find our house last time," Kogure reasoned.

"Did you get a present from Hoteiosho?"

"Well, yes, I did. When I was younger." Kogure was taken off-guard by the question.

"Then he should know our house by now. Besides, how come Sumi-_chan_ gets her gift from Hoteiosho every year and she just lives next door?"

The adults glanced at each other, then Kogure decided to answer.

"Perhaps he's saving a bigger gift for you," he said, a wistful look in his eyes. "Hoteiosho never forgets good children." He stroked his sister's head affectionately.

"Really?" Her eyes regained its glimmer, making Kogure smile.

Mitsui quietly observed the exchange between brother and sister, felt a pang of envy at their closeness. Despite his nonchalant expression, there were times he sorely yearned for another's company. 

_This is bad, he thought wryly. _I'm getting soft.__

He took a furtive glance at the elders. They seemed to be quietly amused by the siblings as well. The couple stared at each other, he noted the affection in their eyes. Mitsui painfully looked away and down at his bowl.

"I hope you are having a good time, Mitsui-_kun_," Ojii-san said.

"Oh, yes, thank you," he said, looking up with a light grin.

"It's a good thing your parents permitted you to join us on this occasion," Obaa-san said. "Did they go out for dinner?"

"My father's still abroad while my mother's working tonight," Mitsui replied. "So no-one's home." He shrugged.

Obaa-san looked slightly aghast. Her husband didn't seem fazed by it. But the empathy was in their eyes that Mitsui deftly glanced away.

"Why? Don't you like Christmas, Mitsui-_niichan_?" Oshin asked innocently

"I guess my family is too old to celebrate it," Mitsui answered, picking his words carefully in the presence of a child. _False hopes and promises._ Why was he doing it, too? Shouldn't he be telling the elders of the futility all this is?

"Ah, but that's where I can't agree with you, Mitsui-_kun_," Ojii-san cut in. "Nobody can outgrow the celebration of Christmas."

Mitsui inhaled deeply. "I have," he confessed. "To me, it's just some foreign tradition I don't have to follow."

A hush lorded over the table. He couldn't bear the tinge of sadness in Kogure's face. He felt the elders' eyes on him as well, but didn't dare try to see their faces. Oshin-_chan__ looked deeply perplexed._

"While it is true Christmas holds an exotic charm for most of us." It was Ojii-san who breached the silence. "But to some, it holds a special message universal to all, _gaijin or not. And one is hope, to never let that light of hope die in our hearts and strive to keep it burning. Otherwise, what else is there for man?_

"Another is love. This day is a great reminder for all of us to cherish those whom we love. And show our appreciation of how much they enrich our lives."

Mitsui was silent. He felt a slight twinge in his chest as a warm glow began to spread within him. The emotions welling were confusing him: a feeling of quiet contentment and, at the same time, sadness. Slowly he began to see the significance of this day.

He chanced a glimpse at Kogure. Pride for his grandfather dominated his features. His own lips tugged to a smile.

Ojii-san clapped his hands. "Now," he announced, "would you be so kind and serve our Christmas cake, Oshin-_chan?"_

The girl nodded vigorously and stood up, Kogure following her to help. In that moment of distraction, Mitsui gazed at Ojii-san with a thankful look, for the wisdom he shared and for the tact of steering the attention from him. A few more minutes, Mitsui might not have withstood it any longer.

Oshin-_chan__ came up beside him, bearing a plate of his share of the cake. He was surprised to see the little Santa perched on slice._

"But, Oshin-_chan__," Mitsui protested with a laugh, "shouldn't you get Santa Claus?"_

She shook her head with a toothless smile. "You're our guest," she said. She gestured for him to take the plate. Mitsui took it gratefully. 

The conversation was lighter during dessert, aimlessly drifting from one mundane topic to another. Mitsui contented himself with quietly listening to the pleasant chatter. His stomach was filled with good food, his heart is warmed by the kindness of Kogure's people. For now, he was content.

"_Ara, I forgot to call __okaa__-san," Mitsui suddenly said._

"The phone is in the hallway," Kogure spoke up as he continued slicing the cake to hand out some second helpings. "When you're done, just join us in the sitting room, okay?"

He went to the hallway and made the call. It took some minutes before he was able to speak with his mother. It took a few minutes more in trying to convince her that he was indeed in Kogure's home before he hung up. Mitsui paused, and picked up the phone again.

He returned ten minutes later and found the family assembled. Presently they looked up at seeing Mitsui enter.

"We were about to start without you," Kogure joked.

Mitsui was puzzled, but didn't show it. "You wouldn't do that, would you?" he countered with a lopsided grin as he plopped down beside his teammate.

Ojii-san pulled out a large paper bag behind him. "I'll go first," he said, and began taking out gaily wrapped parcels, handing them out to their respective recipients: first to his wife, then to his grandchildren. Obaa-san followed, handed out her presents. Oshin clapped her hands in glee as she received her gifts. Mitsui looked on curiously, feeling a little alienated from the group. Obaa-san noticed the wistful look he wore.

"I hope you come by next year, Mitsui-_kun," she said. "And next time, we will have something for you."_

He put on a weak smile. "You don't have to," he demurred. "But I sure will come next time." He caught the smile on the old man's face.

"_Oi, Kogure," he said as he turned to his friend. "Aren't you forgetting something?"_

He gave a knowing grin. "Do you think I could forget?" he asked. He stood up and left the room, his family looked on questioningly, then at Mitsui.

Kogure returned shortly, boxes in his arms. He deposited them on the laps of three astonished people before returning to sit beside his teammate.

Obaa-san stared at him, her eyes bright. "Miyo," she said softly. "You don't have to…"

"I want to," he replied. "Go ahead. Open them." 

They tore at their presents, their faces lighting up at unraveling the contents. Ojii-san received a tweed peaked cap, which immediately took the place of the worn one he had on his head. Obaa-san opened hers to a colorful knitted shawl. And little Oshin-_chan__ got a heart locket._

"Oooh! So cute!" she cried, hopping across the room and jumped onto her brother's lap, giving him a hug. "Thank you so much, _onii-chan_!"

Kogure smiled down at her, ruffled her hair. "Now do you understand?" he said cryptically in a low voice that only Mitsui could hear.

He blinked in confusion, then comprehension came to his features. _He was right_, he thought at seeing the glowing faces around him. _It's all worth it._

He gave a start when he was handed a slim red and green box. He looked up to see the playful grin on Kogure's face.

"How did you—when did you get the time to…"

"I have my ways," he said evasively. He opened the gift. A pair of winter gloves.

"I didn't know what to pick out," Kogure explained bashfully. "I noticed you didn't have any gloves that day. I never saw you wear one, so I thought of getting you one. I hope it's okay." 

Mitsui slipped them on. It was a good fit. He forgot his at home. He always forgets his gloves. Not that he didn't mind, but he made do without them. He stared at his gift like it was the most wonderful thing he saw.

"_Shinnen_ omedeto,_ my friend."_

He was able to catch himself and responded warmly, "_Shinnen__ omedeto."_

The winter frost eased slightly the next day, much to everyone's relief as the students entered the gates of Shohoku High. One particular youth hurried to the gym. He needed to get his blood working again. When he entered the locker room, he found a teammate already there.

"_Konnichiwa_," he greeted his bespectacled teammate. He didn't respond, and remained staring distractedly into his open locker. He came over and tapped him on the shoulder. 

Kogure's head jerked up. "_Oi__, Mitsui," he said quietly, then offered a small grin._

"You okay?" he said, tilting his head to get a better view of the other's face.

"_Daijobu_,_" Kogure assured him. "It's just that, well, something strange happened last night."_

"Oh?" Mitsui was genuinely intrigued.

"There was something left at our door a few hours after you left," he answered. "They were presents for me and Oshin-_chan__."_

"Really?" he exclaimed. "Any idea who it's from?"

Kogure shook his head. "I thought it was some joke, so I opened both of them. It was a huge toy bear and an NBA jacket," he said in quiet awe.

"Wow," Mitsui whistled. "What did Oshin-_chan_ say about the gifts?"

"She thinks that Hoteiosho finally found our house." He chuckled as he recalled the events. "She was squealing with glee that Ojii-san came running out thinking there was an alarm."

"I should have been there," Mitsui simply stated with a self-conscious grin.

_OWARI_

* * *

_Ara__ — an exclamation (equiv. to "Oh!")_

_chan__ — term of endearment, usually for children and young girls._

_Daijobu__— all right, ok._

_Gaijin — foreigner, usually referring to Westerners_

_Hoteiosho__ — a priest who acts like Santa Claus. He brings presents to each house and leaves them for the children. Some think he has eyes in the back of his head, so children try to behave like he is nearby._

_Hora__ — "Hey!", "What's that?", "Look at that!"_

_Itadakemas__(__u) — saying grace before meals._

_Katsu__-don — Japanese meat dish (don't let me elaborate!)_

_Komban__ wa — Good evening_

_Kun — young Mr…_

_Mou__ —"Oh"._

_ne__ — _"isn't it?"

_Obaa__-san — grandmother_

_Ojii__-san — grandfather_

_Okaa__-san­ — mother_

_Onii-chan__ — big brother, usually used by children and young girls_

_Otou__-san _—_ father_

_Sekihan__ — red bean rice._

_Shinnen__ omedeto — Merry Christmas_

_Sugoi _— _"Swell!", "Wonderful!"_

_Tempura — deep fried dishes_

_Yareyare — whatever_


End file.
